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Canyon Moon by Harry Styles, arranged by Kirsten Duncan, performed by The Resonants, directed by Kylie Van Dijk, Canberra, September 2025
Voicing: SATB, a cappella
Item: 2025.01
ISMN: 9790900969958
Duration: 3:00 min
PDF file: 12 pages to print at size A4, includes front cover, information about the work and composer, music pages, back cover
Composer’s note
‘Canyon Moon’ is a bittersweet song about a man who travels often and clings fondly to memories of a time under the canyon moon to carry him through homesickness. The melancholy is balanced by the joyous anticipation of going home. The titular canyon and the musical style are references to Laurel Canyon in Southern California, near where Styles lived while writing the album, and the hippie soft-rock musicians who worked there in the 1960s and 70s.
Why choose this arrangement? It is composed for intermediate mixed adult choirs (SATB) without any accompaniment. The voices alternate between jaunty instrumental ba dup bridges and layered harmonies through verses and choruses, building to the nostalgic climax of going home, and lightened with some cheerful whistling and toe-tapping.
Performances
2025 The Resonants, directed by Kylie Van Dijk, ‘Sun Moon Stars’ concert, at Weston Creek Uniting Church, Weston, ACT (video above)
Reviews
From Canberra CityNews by Ian McLean, regarding The Resonants ‘Sun Moon Stars’ concert in September 2025
[Other pieces about the moon] “were complemented by an unaccompanied Canyon Moon by English singer/songwriter/actor and original member of One Direction, Harry Styles, a performer much to the fore with his impact on current youth culture. His song was cleverly arranged by Kirsten Duncan, one of the alto members of the choir.”